ST. LOUIS – A Belleville, Illinois, man was convicted Tuesday of a federal gun crime.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Ryan Fleming, 31, was caught in St. Louis with an AR-15 following a high-speed chase on Sept. 24, 2021.

According to court documents, law enforcement in Illinois were on the lookout for a Hyundai Sonata in connection with an investigation into an assault on a police officer.

St. Louis police spotted that vehicle and gave chase. The pursuit topped 100 miles per hour on Interstate 70. Prosecutors said Fleming crashed into a concrete barrier while trying to exit the interstate in downtown St. Louis.

Prosecutors said Fleming got out of the car with a Palmetto State Armory AR-15, but dropped the weapon and ran. He was arrested a short time later.

Fleming had prior convictions in Illinois, including drug possession and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Following a two-day trial, Fleming was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison when he’s sentenced on May 23.